Garage door lock



Patented Oct. 18, 1960 GARAGE DOOR LOCK John A. Mahrley, White Plains,N.Y., assignor to The Yale and Towne Manufacturing Company, Stamford,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 19, 1958, Ser. No.716,067

3 Claims. (Cl. 70-145) This invention relates to a lock of the classthat is utilized for locking a bolt mechanism on an overhead garagedoor.

In the locks of the particular class, it is quite customary to utilize aspring-pressed bolt that is adapted to coact with a latchbolt operatingmember, whereby to prevent manual release of the latchbolt. The lock isequipped with a key plug that can be actuated by a key at the outside ofthe door to move the spring-pressed bolt to release position, and manualmeans are utilized for that purpose at the inside of the door. Inaddition, such locks have holdback means that are adapted to hold thespring-pressed bolt in retracted position so that the latchbolt can bemanually operated at will, from either the inside or outside of thedoor. To achieve the type of operation that is desired, it is preferredthat the holdback means not be actuated from the outside of the door.Thus, it has been proposed that the locks of the particular class enablethe bolt to be retracted by the key, and also released from its holdbackposition by the key, but with the arrangement such that the key cannoteffect the movement of the bolt to holdback position. Then, when it isdesired to piece the bolt in holdback position, it is necessary to do sofrom the inside of the door.

I have conceived by my invention an exceedingly novel garage door lockthat will enable me to achieve the desirable operation that I havedescribed, and that has very considerable advantages over the earlierlocks of the particular class. As an important feature of my invention,I utilize a cam that moves a bolt in a linear direction to a releaseposition, and that will be efiective when particularly actuated to holdthe bolt in that release position. I equip my lock with a key plug thatwill enable a person at the outside of the door to move the cam, but Iutilize stop means that will limit the movement that is imparted by thekeyplug so that the cam will not then be effective to hold the bolt inrelease position. A person at the inside of the door can move the cambeyond the position to which it is moved by the key, the cam then beingeffective as a holdback for the bolt.

As a preferred feature, 1 form the cam with a stop portion that willlimit the movement that the key plug imparts to the cam. \Vhen moved ina linear direction beyond its release position, the bolt will move outof iimit relation to the stop portion of the cam, thus enabling the camto be moved into holdback position relatively to the bolt. The cam willbe so moved through manipulation of the bolt and cam at the inside ofthe door, and will not be so moved simply through the operation of thekey plug.

I have thus outlined rather broadly the more important features of myinvention in order that the detaiied description thereof that followsmay be better understood, and in order that my contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features ofmy invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the conception on which my disclosure is based mayreadily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures forcarrying out the several purposes of my invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of myinvention, in order to prevent the appropriation of my invention bythose skilled in the art.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows my novel garage door lock together with the latchboltoperating member controlled by the lock.

Fig. 2 shows the lock as it appears at the inside of the door.

Fig. 3 is somewhat like Fig. 2, but shows the cam and bolt in releaseposition.

Fig. 4 shows the holdback position.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view showing parts of my lock.

As is usual with locks of the particular class, my novel garage doorlock, that I indicate generally by the numeral 10 in Figs. 1 and 2, willbe mounted on the inside surface of a garage door as by screws 11. Abolt 12 on the lock will then be in position to coact with a latchboltoperating member 13 on the door. I believe it will be urnecessary todescribe the latchbolt operating member 13 in detail, since that membersimply operates a pair of latchbolts in a conventional manner. It isnecessary to know merely that the operating member 13 will be manuallyrotated to move the latchbolts through operating rods 14, with the bolt12 on the lock 10 adapted to engage in a notch 15 in member 13 wherebyto dog that member in position corresponding to the locking position ofthe latchbolts.

In the construction that I prefer to utilize, my garage door lock 11)has a one-piece sheet metal base 16 that is best seen in Fig. 5 of thedrawing. That base 16 has a guide surface 17 for the bolt 12, and isformed with opposed upper and lower flanges 18, 19, having openings 20in which the bolt slides. For reasons that will appear, it is importantto understand that the flanges 18, 19, will support the bolt 12 to slidein a linear direction on the guide surface 17 of the base.

Preferably, the bolt 12 is formed from sheet metal, with opposed sides21, 22, which are the parts that actually slide in contact with theguide surface 17 on the base. A coil spring 23 acts between an upper endportion 24 of the bolt and a lug 25 on the base 16, whereby to press thebolt 12 to a locking position. Also, I show the bolt 12 formed with afinger piece 26 that can be utilized to press the bolt against itsspring pressure to a release position.

In the exceedingly novel construction that I have conceived by myinvention, I utilize for controlling the bolt 12 a rotating cam 27 thatis well shown in Fig. 5. Preferably that cam 27 when assembled will lieagainst the guide surface 17 on the lock base 16. The bolt 12 will thenbe utilized to hold the cam 27 in position between guide portions 28,29, that are struck out of the base, and that guide the cam for rotatingmovement on surface 17. For the particular purpose, I show the opposedSides 21, 22, of bolt 12 formed with slots 30, 31, that Will acceptportions of the cam 27 while allowing it to rotate and also enabling thebolt 12 to slide. I equip my lock with a rather conventional lockcylinder 32, Fig. 1, having a rotating key plug 33, the cylinder 32 inmy preferred construction being formed with a flange 32a that is securedto the lock base 16 through screws 34. The key plug 33 has a connectingbar 35, Figs. 2 to 5, that is engaged in an opening 35a in cam 27 andadapted to coact with lugs 35b in that opening, as in Fig. 3. Thus, keyplug 33 is adapted to rotate cam 27, but with lost motion between thecam and connecting bar 35 to enable the cam to be rotated independentlyof the key plug, as

r 3 will be understood by those skilled in the art. As best seen in Fig.5, cam 27 has an arm portion 27a that is somewhat offset whereby to haveclearance relatively to the guide lug 29 on base 16, and that can beutilized as a finger piece for rotating cam 27.

The cam 27 in my preferred construction has a cam surface 36 on its armportion 27a, that surface 36 acting against a notch 38 on thespring-pressed bolt 12 whereby to move the bolt to retracted positionwhen the cam rotates, as is well shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Thus,the key plug 33 by rotating will move the bolt 12 linearly on its guideto a retracted position. I form the cam 27 also with a stop portion 39that is juxtaposed to the outer end of cam surface 36. That stop portion39 will move against a limit surface 33a on the bolt 12 when the cam 27moves the bolt to release position, as shown in Fig. 3, thus limitingthe rotating movement that will be imparted to cam 27 by the key. By sodoing, the stop portion 39 will maintain the cam surface 36 and the bolt12 in coacting relation to one another, enabling the spring pressure ofthe bolt 12 to rotate the cam so that the bolt 12 may move .to lockingposition upon release of key pressure.

I further form the cam 27 with a holdback portion 40, Figs. 2 to 5, thatis adapted to coact with bolt 12 when the cam 27 is rotated beyond theposition to which it is limited by the limit surface 38a. To place theholdback portion 40 in coacting relation to bolt 12, the bolt first willbe moved somewhat beyond its release position in a linear direction, asthrough manual pressure on the fing r piece 26. Thereby limit surface33a on the bolt will moveout of limit relation to the stop portion 39 onthe cam. It will then be possible to rotate the cam 27 to the holdbackposition shown in Fig. 4, as through manual pressure on finger piece27a, whereby to dog the bolt 12 in release position. Naturally, that canbe accomplished only by a person at the inside of the door, since thecam 27 will not move to'hold back position when merely rotated by thekey plug 33. It may be observed further that the operation of placingcam 27 in holdback position will normally be a two-handed operated,since it requires maniplation of both the bolt 12 and cam 27. That initself is a desirable feature, since it minimizes the possibility thatthe cam will be moved to holdback position through accident.

I believe that the very considerable advantages of my novel garage doorlock will now be understood by those persons skilled in the art. Throughmy extremely novel concept, I am able to achieve the particular type ofoperation that is desired in locks of this class, yet I do this throughthe utilization of means that are easy to fabricate and that actuallyare very simple. In fact, I am able to utilize in my invention a sheetmetal construction that is very satisfactory, but that is inexpensiveand has relatively few parts. I believe, therefore, that the merits ofmy novel garage door lock will be fully appreciated.

I now claim:

1. In a lock of the class described, a lock bolt, a lock base having aguide surface for said bolt, portions on said lock base supporting saidbolt for sliding movement in a linear direction on said guide surface, aspring pressing said bolt on said guide surface towards a lockingposition, a cam mounted to rotate on said base, means for rotating saidcam, a cam surface on said cam extending outwardly from the center ofrotation of said cam and engageable with a surface on said bolt toretract said bolt as said cam is rotated, a' stop projectionformed onsaid cam at the outer end of said cam surface, a limit surface on saidbolt engageable by said stop projection to stop further rotation of saidcam and therefore further retraction of said bolt by rotation of saidcam after said bolt has been retracted to a release position, said lockbolt being further retractable independently of said earn as by fingerpressure to move said limit surface away from said stop projectionwhereby said cam may be further rotated, and a stop surface on said cambeyond said stop projection movable against a surface on said bolt uponsaid further rotation of said cam to hold said bolt in release positlon.

2. In a lock of the class described, a lock bolt, a lock base having aguide surface for said bolt, portions on said lock base supporting saidbolt for sliding movement in a linear direction on said guide surface, aspring pressing said bolt on said guide surface towards a lockingposition, a cam mounted to rotate on said base, a key plug at theoutside of said lock base for rotating said cam, a cam surface on saidcam extending outwardly from the center of rotation of said cam andengageable with a surface on said bolt to retract said bolt as said camis rotated, a stop projection formed on said cam at the outer end ofsaid cam surface, a limit surface on said bolt engageable by said stopprojection to stop further rotation of said cam by said key plug andtherefore further retraction of said bolt by rotation of said cam aftersaid bolt has been retracted to a release position, said lock bolt beingfurther retractable independently of said cam as by finger pressure tomove said limit surface away from said stop projection whereby said cammay be further rotated, and a stop surface on said cam beyond said stopprojection movable against a surface on said bolt upon said furtherrotation of said cam to hold said bolt in release position.

, 3. In a lock of the class described, a lock bolt, a onepiece sheetmetal lock base having an inside guide surface for said bolt, flangeportions on said lock base holding said bolt assembled to said base forsliding movement in a linear direction on said guide surface, a springacting between said base and bolt to press said bolt on said guidesurface towards a locking position, a cam mounted to rotate on saidguide surface, a key plug at the outside of said lock base for rotatingsaid cam, a cam surface on said cam extending outwardly from the centerof rotation of said cam and engageable With a surface on said bolt toretract said bolt as said cam is rotated, a stop projection formed onsaid cam at the outer end of said cam surface, a limit surface on saidbolt engageable by said stop projection to stop further rotation of saidcam and therefore further retraction of said bolt by rotation of saidcam after said bolt has been retracted to a release position, said lockbolt being further retractable independently of said cam as by fingerpressure to move said limit surface away from said stop projectionwhereby said cam may be further rotated, and a stop surface on said cambeyond said stop projection movable against a surface on said bolt uponsaid further rotation of said cam to hold said bolt in release position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 91,479Ochsner June 15, 1869 355,311 Furbish Jan. 4, 1887 720,986 *Voight Feb.17, 1903 1,309,439 Keefer July 8, 19:19

1,771,677 Hennicke July 29, 1930 2,564,161 Koreska Aug. 14, 19512,682,763 Williams July 6, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 477,079 Great BritainDec. 21, 1937

